STACK New Zealand October Issue 67

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DVD&BD FEATURE
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Queuing up to see the original movie as a youngster, JurassicWorld star
Chris Pratt never dreamed he would ever get the chance to battle dinosaurs himself.
What’s it like to be in a film like Jurassic
World?
CHRIS PRATT: You know, it’s a real treat. It’s
so rare for me as an actor or for anyone to get
an opportunity to be part of a franchise that they
cared so deeply about as a kid. Jurassic Park
was a big deal for me. I was 13 when I saw it in
the theatre. I mean, I stood in line and waited
opening weekend…that event in my mind is so
crystal clear. If you would have told that kid, 22
years ago, that he would grow up to (a), be an
actor and (b), star in another installment of this
franchise, my brain would have exploded.
What was it like the day you found out you
got the part?
I didn’t audition for this movie, so it was not
quite like you’d expect, like going in
with your fingers crossed, then
getting the call that you got
the news. I approached
this very practically,
with great emphasis
on my concern for
telling another chapter of
this story. You know, I talked to
Colin [Trevorrow, who directs]. I said,
“Hey, buddy…What are you
doing, why are we doing this
movie?” It took him about
three minutes to
completely convince
me. He was telling
a story that was
different from the first movies. In the first
Jurassic Park movie we got to witness the birth
of these dinosaurs coming back from the dead.
Here, we’re seeing John Hammond’s
[Richard Attenborough’s] dream
come to life. When that gate opens,
we’re not seeing just dinosaurs,
we’re seeing the entire vision in
terms of a park with the 20,000
visitors a day, the city walk,
the hotel…it’s like Universal
Studios, with dinosaurs.
What was it like for you
stepping onto the set that
first day? Intimidating?
Exciting?
Intimidating, exciting,
those are a couple of words to
describe it but it was humbling. I
felt a great deal of responsibility
to make sure the story was told
correctly. But at the same time
it was very gratifying to know
in my heart that I was ready to
be this character and I was ready to help lead
this movie. It was a culmination of many years
as an actor, building my resume and my skills; it
just felt great. I kind of felt like a baseball player
would feel if they were walking out into a major
league stadium for the first time. This was the
big leagues. And it felt very good.
And you actually started working on Jurassic
World before Guardians of the Galaxy
came out…
Yes, for sure; when Colin cast me, I think
that was taking a risk because Guardians of the
Galaxy had not been released and no one knew
if that movie was going to work. But I think he
saw something in me that rang true with who
he envisioned the character to be.
What was it like watching Jurassic World
when it was finally put together?
It’s beautiful. You’re seeing in full colour and
3D what this was supposed to look like. You had
a sense of how it would look, but it was mind
blowing. Sadly I’m never going to be able to
watch this movie the way somebody watches
a movie… I know every turn, I know every
scare, I know every jump, I know exactly what
happens; I was there when we filmed it! So it’s
a little like being dad on Christmas
morning rather than being a
kid on Christmas morning.
You know what’s inside the
package; you’re just excited
for everyone to open it up.
It’s beautiful. You’re seeing
in full colour and 3D what this
was supposed to look like